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For me it is 1 and 3. I am not aware of any Biblical Warrant for this practice.

Brian Vandenburg
Member of Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Vancouver, WA
"The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and obeyed, depends not upon the testimony of any man, or Church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God."-Westminster Confession of Faith

Yeah, I have prayed at various times with my eyes open, like while cooking, while driving, while cleaning or just lying awake in bed. I don't know if that's proper or not. Sometimes I get distracted, but I also get distracted with my thoughts just closing my eyes. So regardless of the circumstance the temptation for being distracted is always there. For me at least.

Nikki Edmond
Desert Springs Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Tucson, AZPrinciple and PracticeBlogProverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

I pray with my head bowed and my eyes closed when I am in church/family devotions/dinner table. But when I pray in private I always pray:
1) While walking (either outside or just in circles around the room)
2) Out loud
3) And with my eyes open

I'm reminded of the story of Stonewall Jackson. Jackson was a Presbyterian Deacon, but prior to his conversion he had almost no Christian background. So when he was saved he thought that he was required to close his eyes while he prayed. The only problem was, Jackson couldn't seem to pray unless he was walking about. When his pastor told him that it was merely a tradition and a helpful tool (and not a biblical command) he was overjoyed! He said that he was so glad that he could open his eyes when he prayed, because he was tired of stubbing his toes on rocks and roots!

Ben Franks

I'm a member of Heartland Community Church (PCA) in Wichita, Kansas and am currently involved with a PCA church plant in Andover, Kansas called Kirk of the Plains.

"Remember, it is not hasty reading, but serious meditating upon holy and heavenly truths, that make them prove sweet and profitable to the soul...It is not he that reads most , but he that meditates most, that will prove the choicest, sweetest, wisest and strongest Christian." - Thomas Brooks (1608-1680)

1 & 3 - i mostly close them, however they are open if i am praying while driving or walking or praying out of Scritpure (if I don't have something memorized that I want to pray, like a particular Psalm)

I close my eyes when praying corporately, or when in a safe place to do so alone, but probably pray more often with them open. I pray while driving, walking, working, etc., and closed eyes are not always safe.

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The PuritanBoard exists to promote robust discussion of theology in a Confessionally Reformed context. The modern trend of short statements of faith belies the many places where the Scriptures teach with great clarity. Though our respective Reformed confessions sometimes disagree, we believe that Churches have been given the gifts of teachers and elders to lead to the unity of the faith and the result of that unity is a Confessional Church confessing together: "This is what the Scriptures teach." The Confessions are secondary to the authority of Scripture itself but they arise out of Scripture as a standard exposition of the Word of God.